MLB Player News

Royals president of baseball operations J.J. Picollo said Wednesday in an interview on 96.5 The Fan that Estevez's velocity during a live batting practice session Tuesday was closer to where it needs to be. He's recovering from a left foot contusion.

Picollo did not offer any specific numbers, but it seems Estevez's velocity is at least trending in the right direction. Estevez will throw a live batting practice again later this week before likely beginning a rehab assignment. There's no timetable for his return, but it seems unlikely he'll be activated before mid-May. Lucas Erceg has been up-and-down while filling in as the Royals' closer, so Estevez could get his job back if he shows good form as he gets ramped back up. Estevez has been shelved since early April.

Dominguez was removed from Wednesday's game versus the Rangers in the fourth inning after being hit on the left elbow by a pitch, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

He was struck by an 89 mph Nathan Eovaldi cutter in the top of the fourth inning. Dominguez initially remained in the contest, but Max Schuemann took his spot in left field for the bottom of the frame. The Yankees should have more on Dominguez's condition soon.

The Astros could activate Bolton (back) from the 15-day injured list to serve as their 27th man for Thursday's doubleheader versus the Orioles, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Bolton had made three appearances (two starts) and pitched to a 5.40 ERA and 1.68 WHIP over 8.1 innings before landing on the shelf April 15 due to mid-back inflammation. The right-hander appears to be tracking toward a brief stay on the IL, as he was able to make a two-inning rehab appearance for Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday. While Houston still has six other starting pitchers on its IL, Bolton may be ticketed for the bullpen once activated with the Astros having received strong results from Spencer Arrighetti and Peter Lambert since those two pitchers entered the rotation.

Bassitt is no longer scheduled to start Wednesday after the Orioles' game against the Astros was postponed due to inclement weather.

The game will be made up as part of a traditional doubleheader Thursday. Bassitt is slated to start the first of those two games, while Brandon Young receives the nod for the second contest, per Jake Rill of MLB.com.

Lambert and the Astros won't play the Orioles on Wednesday after the game was postponed due to inclement weather in Baltimore.

The two teams will make up the postponed game as part of a traditional doubleheader Thursday. According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Lambert will start the first game of the twin bill, while Lance McCullers starts the second game. Through his first two starts with the Astros since being called up from Triple-A Sugar Land earlier this month, Lambert has gone 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB in 11 innings.

McDougal was removed from his start Wednesday with Triple-A Charlotte after one inning due to right forearm tightness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

McDougal needed only 13 pitches to complete a perfect opening frame, but he was injured while warming up before the second inning and was removed. The right-hander will undergo further testing before more is known about his condition. McDougal holds a 3.00 ERA and 27:13 K:BB over 24 innings in the early going at Charlotte. He had been knocking on the door for a promotion to the majors prior to suffering the injury.

Kikuchi was lifted from his start Wednesday against the White Sox prior to the bottom of the third inning due to left shoulder tightness. He struck out a batter and allowed two hits and one walk over two scoreless frames before departing.

After noticing a minor velocity dip in the second inning, Kikuchi came back out for the third but didn't throw a pitch. He appeared to experience some discomfort while warming up, and then checked out of the game after a brief visit with a trainer. Mitch Farris entered the game in place of Kikuchi and will likely be tasked with covering multiple frames out of the bullpen. The Angels will likely send Kikuchi in for further testing to glean more information regarding the extent of the injury.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that Pasquantino is considered day-to-day after exiting Tuesday's game versus the Athletics with low-back tightness, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Pasquantino revealed that his back has bothered him for "a while," as he's been receiving regular treatment and using a heating/massage back pad in the dugout. He was "just having a hard time getting it loose" Tuesday, forcing his removal in the sixth inning. The Royals will see how Pasquantino is feeling Wednesday before determining his availability for the second game of the series. If Pasquantino is unable to play, the Royals could use Salvador Perez or Nick Loftin at first base.

Schneider is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Schneider had been included in the lineup in each of the last four games, going 0-for-9 with four walks during that stretch. Three of those starts came against left-handed pitching, and Schneider appears likely to be mostly limited to a short-side platoon role moving forward with the Blue Jays getting George Springer (toe) back from the injured list for Wednesday's series finale.

Heineman is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Heineman will get a breather Wednesday after he started behind the dish in the first two contests of the series. Brandon Valenzuela will fill in for Heineman at catcher, forming a battery with starting pitcher Eric Lauer.